With 5:00 left in the first overtime period, senior captain and forward Leonardo Contreras dropped the mic, took a 50/50 ball in the air and scored the game-winning goal with a brilliant bicycle kick.
A miraculous goal
Biola men’s soccer struggled to produce any offense all night, attempting a whopping 27 shots with an abysmal two on goal. However, the Eagles only needed one shot — one miraculous, highlight-worthy shot — to take down their Golden State Athletic Conference rivals, The Master’s University Mustangs.
“He [Contreras] has not scored for a couple games, and to score a goal like that, especially a game-winner in overtime, it is amazing,” said senior midfielder Devin Leon. “Because it does not just lift him up, it also lifts everybody up on our team, guys on the field, guys on the bench, lifts the fans up. So I mean, it was an absolute beauty.”
Offensive struggles, defensive dominance
Despite the astonishing conclusion to Tuesday night’s win, worry looms over the Eagles’ recent offensive struggles. Contreras’ overtime goal remains the only one scored in the last two games against two of the more anemic teams in the GSAC.
“We are trying to get the perfect pass to set up the perfect shot, but I mean, as we saw in the game, Leo almost put one away from nothing again,” said Leon. “As clear as it is, if you do not shoot, you are not going to score.”
When playing against stronger competition later on, such as the Westmont University Warriors and Vanguard University Lions, the Biola Eagles’ offense may not fare well.
However, the defense continues to torment offenses despite giving up a goal in their second loss of the season on Sep. 24 against the Menlo College Oaks. On Tuesday, the defense proved just as stingy, giving up 17 shots but leaving a donut on the scoreboard for the Mustangs to gaze upon.
With the win, Biola moves to 7-2 on the season and improves to 2-1 in conference play. On Saturday, Oct. 1, the Eagles will host the Vanguard Lions at 7 p.m. in their toughest test to date.
